Peterborough business fear for the future as incorrect parking charges drive shoppers away from Chadburn Centre in Paston

Business owners in Paston are fearful for the future as incorrectly issued parking tickets have begun to drive footfall away from the Chadburn Centre.

Concerned business owners have told the Peterborough Telegraph that they have seen their takings drop as customers have decided to stay away for fear of being given parking fines for using the car park at the front of the centre.

Paston and Walton ward councillor Alex Rafiq has been inundated with complaints from visitors to the centre who have been incorrectly charged for visits as short as ten minutes.

The car park, which is managed by ParkMaven, allows visitors to park for 90 minutes for free before a £100 parking charge is incurred, however, residents have reported being sent letters demanding payment after staying for only a short period.

Businesses threatened

A number of residents have reported returning to the centre on consecutive mornings only to receive parking charges stating that their vehicle has been in the car park for almost 24 hours.

The issue has now become so widespread that businesses based in the centre have begun to feel the effect of shoppers staying away.

Abdul, who runs The Barber Pro's, said: “It is a real struggle. The decrease in footfall is obvious and is really damaging for a business like ours.

"It is very hard to get people in as it is but if people feel forced to go elsewhere, they will find another barber, tend to stick with that one and won’t come back."

‘Our suppliers have been given tickets’

Harry, who manages the branch of Nisa in the centre added: “We are getting more and more complaints from customers about parking fines.

"It is clearly not right, people are being charged for staying no more than 20 minutes, which is clearly against the rules of the car park. We have even had problems with our own suppliers being given tickets when making deliveries.”

Liz from Raw & More Pet Supplies Ltd added: “We have all noticed a reduction in sales and an increase in people complaining about parking tickets. when they’ve only been here ten or 15 minutes.

"We would like to see more communication from the management company to reassure us that that action is being taken to get the issue sorted.”

The centre is managed by London Cambridge Properties, which Cllr Rafiq is pushing for answers to find a solution for residents and business owners.

Cllr Rafiq said: “It’s been an absolute nightmare.

“I’ve even got a ticket from a resident who was charged for being parked in the centre for 140 hours.

“Lots of the people given the charges are elderly and the problem is, it is so hard to get a hold of the parking company, there is no phone number or email address. For some people who have been lucky enough to get through, they have been asked for a £15 admin fee to cancel the fine, which is ridiculous!

“People have been paying £100 even when they shouldn’t have had to and it’s not right, we want to stop these fines and actually get the money back from people who have been scared into paying. Some people have sent bailiff letters straight away demanding £100 payment.

“This is vital Christmas money, money for heating etc for people, it is not right they have been made to pay this.

"We don’t want the community to be scared of shopping here.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor candidate Paul Bristow, who joined a meeting with concerned business owners this week, said: “It is such a hassle to reach out to the parking company to get them to cancel the fine.

“It is clear that the cameras aren’t working, they are not fit for purpose. It is impacting local businesses, impacting customers- some are scared and paying, others are going through hassle to cancel it- and the problem is they are not able to contact the organisation and explain their problems in a proper way.

“Enough is enough, even the local councillor has not received a response.

"Chadburn Centre needs a shot in the arm, businesses need to be supported, the last thing they need is this.”